AuthorTopic: Help me do good things!! (Read 12750 times)

There was an excellent linux computer recycling project in Blackpool, in England. They had European Union money to help a disadvantaged community to become computer literate.

The organisation put on a week long course where you would learn the basics with a linux computer and at the end of the course you took the computer home. Continuing support was provided by their staff in a cyber cafe and they formed a Linux User Group.

I gather when the project funds ran out it folded - but it strikes me that was an excellent way of getting people up and running with their Linux machines.

We started doing this with Vector, but the Vecorites in the club, including myself, just didn't have time to keep it up. We have given out hundreds of free used machines with this operating system loaded, working closely with a friendly City and School District. They (city and school district) have folks who deal with problems that arise after the kid gets the machine. We have our main "give-away" every third Saturday at the local Public Television station's community room, and also set up and maintain kiosks at various non-profits around town. We only had one kiosk strip out linux and install windows. We no longer support that kiosk and its kiosk is no longer functional. We give the kids a 2 hour lesson in using the machine before giving it to them, showing them, among other things, how to modify libreoffice etc so that their homework automatically saves in doc format. The program is very popular.

I am seriously thinking of contacting my local freecycle group to ask for computers that I can put Vector on and donate then to people who are without and need computers. I will write some documents to help them and offer some email support. With luck I will get one or two systems out a month.

[off topic]There was some spam here, I attempted to move it to the dumpster but moved the entire topic by accident (it's been a while since I last moderated). I'm not sure where it was, but I moved it into 'Technical General'. Please PM me if this is not the right place and I'll place it elsewhere.

[off topic]There was some spam here, I attempted to move it to the dumpster but moved the entire topic by accident (it's been a while since I last moderated). I'm not sure where it was, but I moved it into 'Technical General'. Please PM me if this is not the right place and I'll place it elsewhere.